DotMusic’s application follows unified principles that all the Community subscribes to, such as: creating a trusted identifier and safe haven for music consumption, protecting musicians’ rights and intellectual property, fighting copyright infringement/piracy, supporting fair compensation and music education, with multi-stakeholder representation of all types of global music constituents without discrimination (Q18). DotMusic is supported by entities with members representing over 95% of global music consumed, including many mainly dedicated to the Community (Q20f).

Music is recognized by ICANN and GAC as a regulated sector, comprised of a logical alliance of interdependent communities relating to music with organized practices and institutions that enable and regulate the music production, distribution and consumption. As such, the string is aligned with the Community definition (“a strictly delineated and organized community of individuals, organizations and business, a logical alliance of communities of similar nature that relate to music,” Q20). Its Nexus matches the string because it represents the Community, allowing all constituents to register a .MUSIC domain without conflict of interests, over-reaching or discrimination. DotMusic’ application clarifies that it does not unfairly prevent access to domain names to those with legitimate musical interests that have the requisite awareness of the community addressed.

DotMusic “will use clear, organized, consistent and interrelated criteria to demonstrate Community Establishment beyond reasonable doubt and incorporate safeguards in membership criteria “aligned with the community-based Purpose” and mitigate anti-trust and privacy concerns by protecting the Community while ensuring there is no material detriment to Community rights and their legitimate interests. Registrants will be verified using Community-organized, unified “criteria taken from holistic perspective with due regard of Community particularities” that “invoke a formal membership” without discrimination, conflict of interest or “likelihood of material detriment to the rights and legitimate interests” of the Community,” “encompassing global reaching commercial, non-commercial stakeholders and amateur stakeholders.” (Q20) Community members can only register their names (or portion) or acronym, so they are assured they can register their names in a meaningful way, regardless of launch phase or whether they belong to a MCMO or not. They can also appeal if their name is illegitimately taken.

DotMusic’s Public Interest Commitments clarify:

“All music constituent types that are associated with the string must have a relationship with “music” and have the requisite awareness of DotMusic’s defined Community to be part of the Community (P.12).” To prevent malicious activity and to ensure music relevancy “entities with a casual, tangential relationship with music (i.e. those that have no clear recognition or awareness of the community addressed) are excluded from the Community definition since they compromise the Purpose of the applied-for string and would not otherwise have a legitimate claim or reason to register a .music especially given the growing number of other alternative, non-restrictive TLD options they can choose from (P.20).” However, those with legitimate musical interests and the requisite awareness of the community addressed are able to register a .MUSIC domain.